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9 Ridiculous Proposals For The Notre Dame Restoration

Although a month has passed since the fire in the Notre Dame cathedral broke out, talks about it haven't died down yet. Especially since on April 17, France announced their plans to host a competition to design a replacement roof and spire for the cathedral. French prime minister, Edouard Philippe has reportedly stated that the new construction would need a look "adapted to the techniques and the challenges of our era". And since then, many people, from architects to graphic designers to random internet users, have proposed their ideas on social media.

In the following weeks, as many designs that were proposed, twice as many opinions followed. And unsurprisingly, many of them were critical, pointing out that an effort to replace something timeless and irreplaceable with contemporary architecture was a futile task. As criticism for architects' proposals piled on, many other designs emerged with more and more outrageous features. So scroll down below to check out the "interesting" designs people have come up with and don't forget to comment and vote for your favorites.

#1

A Swimming Pool

"Most proposals that we have seen puts way too much focus and effort on the spire; a rather recent addition built in the 19th century renovation.
We think that the cathedral looks much better without both the spire and the led-clad roof. Instead we let the bell towers, the flying buttresses and the rose windows do the talking.
Given that we’re in the epicenter of Paris, the world’s cultural capital and a city filled with joie de vivre, where not planning on rebuilding the roof as it was.
Instead we are proposing a meditative public space; a complementary spatial experience to the building with unmatched views over Paris..
The spire is gone, but the twelve statues of the apostles that where put away during the restoration and managed to escape the fire, are once again back at the roof, now as guardians around a large public pool that occupies the whole roof.
Maybe the pool will be replaced in a hundred years or so, becoming another layer of great stories for the future.
"

Dome

This proposition comes from designer Juan Françisco Ronda who wants to send a message of tranquility in peace by surrounding the cathedral with a glass dome. The dome would be supported by a column protruding from the cathedral's crossing.

A Car Park

This proposal was made by minister of mobility and public infrastructure for the Brussels-Capital region of Belgium, Pascal Smet, and that's probably the best explanation for this design. Smet posted this photo in response to the French-speaking Reformist Movement political party's traffic policies.

McDonald's Notre Dame

It's no wonder that this design came from a Reddit user, considering how ridiculous the imagery is, but it could definitely serve as a good social commentary. And if not that, then it's a good meme.
The red roof and iconic McD's archways could be a reflection of how capitalism works in the current world and how it dominates seemingly everything. It could also be a commentary on other designs proposed so far and how outlandish they seem.

Quasimodo’s Penthouse

"Due to the latest events from April 15th 2019 at Notre Dame in Paris, the most famous bell ringer of the world, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, has lost his home. His more than 600 years old accommodation, the attic of the famous cathedral of Notre Dame, burned down. His loss is tragic, but now it´s time for change.
The Hollywood star Quasimodo, by now rich and famous thanks to the royalties from countless movies about him and his story, has already dreamed about changes to his housing conditions for several years. Finally, he can follow his dream of more comfort, light and a green rooftop garden.
The architectural firm Who Cares?! accepted the challenge and created a first blueprint. Who Cares?! is well known for its nonconformist approach, its love for detail and its creative design methods. Living space is king.
The old and dark attic makes place for a modern and light-flooded penthouse with two gigantic patios including a helipad and a spa with an indoor / outdoor pool. The new loft has a living area of 8.000 sqft with two patios of 540 sqft each. One rooftop garden is located on the east and the other on the west of the building. The penthouse is accessible either via the front rooftop garden or via the helipad. The rooftop garden located on the west side will offer an amazing view onto the most iconic sights of Paris. The lavishness of the rooftop gardens continues inside to form to a gigantic, almost sacral loft."

While I am for rebuilding the original spire, I find this idea intriguing. Rather than trying to erase the memories of the terrible fire, this one makes it a part of Notre Dame. And while I think this design was meant to be a joke, the fire is in fact a part of Notre Dame‘s history now. In that light, this design symbolises confidence and mindfuness for me - confidence that a great building like Notre Dame and the significance it has for many people can‘t be destroyed by a mere fire, and mindfulness that we shouldn‘t take anything for granted, not even such an amazing monument.

Notre Dame Circus

A project proposal from an unknown source surfaced recently, showing the cathedral with a rooftop of a circus tent. Likely another bizarre design that offers a social commentary on the 'circus' surrounding the cathedral and everyone involved.

Louis Vuitton Notre Dame

Inspired by Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton's generous €200 million donation to the fundraiser, art director at Brazilian studio Entrequadra Novas Mídias envisioned what would the cathedral look like if it were rebuilt in honor of the company. The iconic Louis Vuitton pattern stretches across the rooftop with the initials standing bold over the stained glass window.

Abstract Spire

"kiss the architect" uploaded this design together with the hashtag #buildthesame, implying that the proposal was meant as a criticism of the other designs that want to replace something that many people deem irreplacable.

As a writer and image editor for Bored Panda, Giedrė crafts posts on many different topics to push them to their potential. She's also glad that her Bachelor’s degree in English Philology didn’t go to waste (although collecting dust in the attic could also be considered an achievement of aesthetic value!) Giedrė is an avid fan of cats, photography, and mysteries, and a keen observer of the Internet culture which is what she is most excited to write about. Since she's embarked on her journalistic endeavor, Giedrė has over 600 articles under her belt and hopes for twice as much (fingers crossed - half of them are about cats).